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Baingan bharta is a popular North Indian dish that will change the way you think about eggplant! Blackened and mashed eggplant is infused with aromatic spices, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes, delivering smoky, creamy, and satisfying flavors in every bite.
Table of Contents
💜 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Flavorful: Full of smoky, zesty, and bold flavors, this baingan bharta recipe is not short on taste.
- Nutritious: Eggplant is rich in antioxidants, high in fiber, and low in calories.
- Easy: You’ll be pleased to know this recipe is simple to put together! There are step-by-step instructions for both stovetop charring and oven-roasting.
- Diet-friendly: This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, making it suitable for most dietary preferences.
If you love eggplant bharta, you should really check out our chana masala, vegan red lentil dal, and split pea dal.
🍆 What is baingan bharta?
Baingan bharta is a vegetarian side dish that originally comes from the Punjab region, but it is popular in North Indian and Pakistani cooking.
In Hindi, baingan means “eggplant” and bharta means “mashed,” so it’s essentially made up of mashed eggplant, tomatoes, and various spices.
Traditionally, the eggplant is roasted in a tandoor oven, imparting charred flavors all throughout. If you don’t have a tandoor oven or gas stove, don’t worry! We have instructions for a few different methods to cook the eggplant, making this incredibly flavorful recipe accessible to everyone.
Once mashed, the eggplant is combined with aromatics like garlic, ginger, green chilis, paprika, and cumin. The final result is smoky, tangy, and slightly spicy — perfect for serving with roti. This is the dish to serve to anyone who says they don’t like eggplant!
🌱 Is baingan bharta vegan?
As long as no ghee is used in the cooking process, baingan bharta is a naturally vegetarian and vegan recipe. Ghee is easily substituted with vegetable oil, and it works just as well!
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Eggplant: While there are technically no “male” or “female” eggplants, those with round dimples in the center of the bottom tend to be meatier and contain fewer seeds. Also, opt for smaller eggplants, which are generally younger.
- Oil: Use neutral-flavored vegetable oil like avocado, safflower, or olive oil.
- Liquid smoke: Not a traditional component of baingan bharta, but a few drops impart a subtly smoky taste, emulating the charred flavor of an open flame. Feel free to omit the liquid smoke and add more smoked paprika.
- Garlic, onion, ginger: Form the base layer of flavors, adding warming, spicy, and zesty notes. Make sure they are all fresh for this recipe!
- Green chili: Brings some heat to this eggplant bharta. If you are sensitive to spice, half or omit the green chili.
- Spices: For our spice blend, we use a touch of cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, and garam masala. Play around with the measurements to suit your taste.
- Diced tomatoes: Both canned and fresh tomatoes work. For more flavor, replace regular canned tomatoes with fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
- Coconut sugar: To add sweetness, balancing the heat and pungent flavor of garlic, onion, ginger, and chilis.
- Lime: Provides an acidic element that brightens the dish. Use freshly-squeezed lime or lemon juice.
- Salt, pepper: Salt to enhance the other flavors and cracked black pepper to add a touch more heat.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
🔥 Best way to roast eggplant
While our preference is eggplant roasted over an open flame, not everyone has a gas stove (we also didn’t at the time of shooting this recipe). Here are two different ways to cook eggplant for baingan bharta:
Open flame
- Brush a little oil over the outside of the eggplant to coat it.
- Turn a gas stove flame to medium, then hold the eggplant directly over it with a set of tongs.
- Continually rotate the eggplant to evenly char all sides. This process takes around 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant.
- You’ll know it’s ready when the eggplant looks completely blackened and charred, and it easily pierces easily with a knife.
- Transfer the eggplant to a freezer bag and seal it as it cools. The steam will help loosen the skin, making it peel off easily.
- Once cooled, remove all the skins and stems and add them to a bowl to mash.
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 475°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and make diagonal slashes on each side.
- Season the eggplant halves with sea salt, making sure to rub it in. Let the eggplant sit for 10-15 minutes to get rid of some excess water.
- When they look like they’re sweating, pat the eggplant halves dry with a clean towel. Brush each half with a little oil and season them with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Flip the halves to face down on the foil and roast for 35-40 minutes. Turn the oven to broil on high for another 4-5 minutes to blacken the skins, then remove them from the oven.
- Once cooled, peel the skins off and trim the hard stems, then mash them in a bowl.
📝 How to make baingan bharta
Step 1: Roast the eggplants
Roast your eggplants using the open flame or oven method, peel, and mash the flesh.
Step 2: Sauté the veggies
Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and sauté until turning translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, and green chilis, cooking for another couple of minutes.
Step 3: Add the spices
Next, add the cumin, turmeric, and tomatoes. Stir to combine and allow the spices to become fragrant. To avoid overpowering the smokiness of the eggplant, start small on the spices and gradually add more.
Step 4: Mix in the eggplant
Mix in the mashed eggplant, coconut sugar, and lime juice. Just before turning the heat off, stir in the garam masala, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this baingan bharta recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🍚 What to serve with baingan bharta
Once it’s done cooking, serve your eggplant bharta alongside popular pairings like these:
- Roti
- Vegan naan
- Paratha
- Coconut yogurt or dairy-free sour cream
- White rice
- Dairy-free bread
🌡️ Storage & reheating
For any leftover baingan bharta, follow these storage and reheating tips:
- Fridge: Once cooled, transfer the eggplant bharta to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 2-3 months in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to eat it again.
- Reheating: You can reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat for about 7-8 minutes, or until warmed through. Alternatively, heat it in 30-second bursts in the microwave.
♻️ Variations
- Protein: To increase the protein content, try adding steamed or boiled green peas.
- Spices: The spices are very customizable here. Use all of them, some of them, or none of them to allow the smokiness to shine through. Try coriander, cumin seeds, or different spice blends.
- Non-spicy: If you’re not a fan of spice, omit the green chilis altogether.
- Oil-free: Don’t brush the eggplants with oil, and use water or broth to sauté the onions and other vegetables for an oil-free version.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Roasting: The best way to cook eggplant is over an open flame. If you have this ability, don’t skip it! If not, it will still taste great so don’t worry.
- Choose a good eggplant: A ripe eggplant should be firm to the touch and not give much. It should also feel relatively light, meaning it contains fewer, smaller seeds.
- Remove the skin: For the creamiest results, remove the eggplant skins. Once cooked, place them in a plastic bag so steam generates and loosens the skin. Give them some time before peeling the skins to prevent burning yourself.
💬 FAQ
Baingan bharta is a healthy recipe suitable for all types of eaters. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and can be made with less oil.
Baingan bharta translates to “mashed eggplant.” Baingan is the Hindi word for eggplant, and bharta is the Hindi word for mash.
Yes, if you don’t remove the skin, the dish will taste very bitter. Eggplant skin already carries a slightly bitter taste, and charring it will further intensify the bitterness.
🍴 More international recipes
If you enjoyed this baingan bharta recipe, be sure to check out some more popular dishes from around the world like these:
- Lentil Patties: A vegan version of Middle Eastern-style kofta.
- Vegan Thai Red Curry: A spicy curry filled with tofu and kabocha squash.
- Vegan Ramen: A simple ramen recipe featuring spicy broth and tofu crumbles.
- Morisqueta: A popular rice-based dish from the Mexican state of Michoacán.
Easy Baingan Bharta
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 drops liquid smoke optional
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1 fresh green chili
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnishes optional
- Chopped cilantro
- Roti or vegan naan
- Rice
Instructions
Oven method
- Preheat the oven to 475°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, and make diagonal slashes on each side.
- Season the eggplant halves with sea salt, making sure to rub it in. Let the eggplant sit for 10-15 minutes to get rid of some excess water.
- When they look like they’re sweating, pat the eggplant halves dry with a clean towel. Brush each half with a little oil and season them with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Flip the halves to face down on the foil and roast for 35-40 minutes. Turn the oven to broil on high for another 4-5 minutes to blacken the skins, then remove them from the oven.
- When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the skins off (this should be easy) and trim away the hard stems. Chop or mash them in a bowl with 2-3 drops of liquid smoke, then set aside.
Open flame
- Brush a little oil over the outside of the eggplant to coat it.
- Turn a gas stove flame to medium, then hold the eggplant directly over it with a set of tongs.
- Continually rotate the eggplant to evenly char all sides. This process takes around 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant.
- You’ll know it’s ready when the eggplant looks completely blackened and charred, and it easily pierces easily with a knife.
- Transfer the eggplant to a freezer bag and seal it as it cools. The steam will help loosen the skin, making it peel off easily.
- Once cooled, remove all the skins and stems and add them to a bowl to mash.
Bharta
- Drain off about half the juice from the can of diced tomatoes. Optionally, remove the tomatoes from the can and finely chop them. Set aside.
- Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and sauté until turning translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and green chilis, cooking for another 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the cumin, turmeric, and tomatoes. Stir to combine and allow the spices to become fragrant, about 5-6 minutes.
- Mix in the mashed eggplant, coconut sugar, and lime juice, cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Just before turning the heat off, stir in the garam masala, salt, and pepper.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve the baingan bharta immediately garnished with chopped cilantro and a side of roti, vegan naan, or rice. Happy eating!
Notes
- Roasting: The best way to cook eggplant is over an open flame. If you have this ability, don’t skip it! If not, it will still taste great so don’t worry.
- Choose a good eggplant: A ripe eggplant should be firm to the touch and not give much. It should also feel relatively light, meaning it contains fewer, smaller seeds.
- Remove the skin: For the creamiest results, remove the eggplant skins. Once cooked, place them in a plastic bag so steam generates and loosens the skin. Give them some time before peeling the skins to prevent burning yourself.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
